Mac Jones Says Patriots Offense Was Run by 3 People and nobody knew who was in charge

[sb1]

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/mac-jones-patriots-offense-dysfunction-belichick-2022

The only good thing about the McCorkle era in NE and Bill's faceplant with Matt Patricia as his OC is they helped bring Drake Maye to NE. Thanks guys! What a team.

 

[sb1]

We ended up, like, (changing) our entire offense a week before the season and it was kind of like back to what we did in my first year, but we weren’t practicing that so it was really hard for everybody.”

I believe that. Fn ridiculous. That was an NFL football team?

 

[Wozzy]

It was higher ranked then the offense run by Bill O’Brien the subsequent season.

You can’t win with all chiefs and no braves. Too many chefs in the kitchen, how many analogies can I use.

There was a power struggle between the owners son and the old coach. It’s literally the plot of Any Given Sunday.

It was time for the old dynasty to end, Brady, Bill… all of it. Time is undefeated.

And who cares what some first round bust says…

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

 

[upstater1]

I believe that. Fn ridiculous. That was an NFL football team?

You'll believe anything.

The next year they got Bill O'Brien who took a team to the playoffs and knew how to run an offense and Mac Jones was even worse than the prior year.

The Mac Jones dead-enders on this site never cease to amaze me.

 

[sb1]

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

I'd say the only reason to smile about that era is we were able to get our QB today.

 

[Ian]

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/mac-jones-patriots-offense-dysfunction-belichick-2022

The only good thing about the McCorkle era in NE and Bill's faceplant with Matt Patricia as his OC is they helped bring Drake Maye to NE. Thanks guys! What a team.

Interesting stuff. And good to see Longo land somewhere. Hadn't seen his byline in a while, and he's one of the good ones.

On a separate note, I'm glad it's him writing stuff at Athlon instead of who they used to have. I ended up getting someone there fired this time last year after they took something I wrote and clearly submitted it to AI, and it was rewritten nearly verbatim (using all the weird AI phrasing), while also using anecdotes I had dug up, etc. Athlon wasn't aware it was happening (I found out about it purely by coincidence), and they apparently investigated the rest of his work and then let him go.

 

[Bill Lee]

You'll believe anything.

The next year they got Bill O'Brien who took a team to the playoffs and knew how to run an offense and Mac Jones was even worse than the prior year.

The Mac Jones dead-enders on this site never cease to amaze me.

Two things can be true at the same time:
1) Mac Jones doesn't have what it takes to be a successful NFL starter
2) Late-period BB putting MP, JG, et al in charge of offense lead to chaos

 

[Wozzy]

I'd say the only reason to smile about that era is we were able to get our QB today.

Agreed, collaboration was a disaster. Mayo was doubling down on disaster.

The Krafts recognized the problem and eventually fixed it. They deserve credit for that. Drake seems to have been dumb luck.

 

[TheRainMaker]

The dysfunction was leaking during the late Brady years, but they couldn't hide it after he left. Bourne called out and embarrassed Patricia which led to him mysteriously being erased from the offense. BB tired his hardest to get fired starting in the 2022 offseason and got his wish after 2023.

Jones also confirmed some wild Aaron Hernandez stories he heard from people in the building including Bill O'Brien such as:

He was found working out in the weight room naked.
He would jerk off during team meetings.
He wrote on a white board 100 times "throw Hernandez the ball".

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Whatever else people want to say about the Mac Jones era... personally, I think the team did the kid a massive disservice. And in general, the fans beat down on this kid for a lot of things. The one area I don't blame him at all is for reaching out to other coaches. He ABSOLUTELY was not getting professional coaching here. Belichick could charitably be called 'disinterested' at this point. Patricia, again very charitably, was 'incompetent'. As was Joe Judge. AT THE TIME, I felt these coaching moves were clearly indicative that Belichick was done. The fact that Belichick thought Patricia and Judge were capable and ready to be MAJOR offensive coaches was, well... offensive. Just... yeah, Mac was WELL WITHIN his rights to reach out to other coaches.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Two things can be true at the same time:
1) Mac Jones doesn't have what it takes to be a successful NFL starter
2) Late-period BB putting MP, JG, et al in charge of offense lead to chaos

Exactly.
Jones proved mentally weak and didn’t have the physical tools to overcome.
But at the same time, the state of the offensive coaching was a comedy of errors.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Exactly.
Jones proved mentally weak and didn’t have the physical tools to overcome.
But at the same time, the state of the offensive coaching was a comedy of errors.

Devil's advocate here, but the 'comedy of errors' could have played a large part in why people felt he was mentally weak. A young NFL QB absolutely needs to have a strong team of coaches to help develop their mindset.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Devil's advocate here, but the 'comedy of errors' could have played a large part in why people felt he was mentally weak. A young NFL QB absolutely needs to have a strong team of coaches to help develop their mindset.

A completely valid point.
That said I’m glad things worked out they way the did.
Jones may develop into a serviceable starter yet, but he is incredibly limited physically, and we got a young stud to replace him, so it’s a win.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

A completely valid point.
That said I’m glad things worked out they way the did.
Jones may develop into a serviceable starter yet, but he is incredibly limited physically, and we got a young stud to replace him, so it’s a win.

Yeah, we really lucked out that things worked the way they did. We ended up with a better coach and a better QB for our troubles.

Hopefully, though, we will remember what it looks like when a great coach loses the plot.

 

[Bill Lee]

Devil's advocate here, but the 'comedy of errors' could have played a large part in why people felt he was mentally weak. A young NFL QB absolutely needs to have a strong team of coaches to help develop their mindset.

People are calling out that Mac didn't do good under BOB but forgetting he did pretty good under Josh.

There was a reason that Mac was sitting there at #14.

I remember a common comp for him in that draft was David Carr, and it certainly wasn't Tom Brady otherwise he wouldn't have been there at #14.

Seems like there is a lot of polarization.

Perhaps we should see more nuance.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

People are calling out that Mac didn't do good under BOB but forgetting he did pretty good under Josh.

There was a reason that Mac was sitting there at #14.

I remember a common comp for him in that draft was David Carr, and it certainly wasn't Tom Brady otherwise he wouldn't have been there at #14.

Seems like there is a lot of polarization.

Perhaps we should see more nuance.

Oh, absolutely. But we're not very good at that as a fanbase. Look no further than the Bill Belichick situation. For some, the idea that Belichick WAS a great coach and then started a decline LIKE ANY OTHER GREAT COACH is impossible. The idea he could still be a brilliant football mind while also losing the ability to be a great coach is equally confusing to that same group. That would be nuance.

And with Mac, it can't be that a kid with some mental issues needed a strong coaching staff to help him grow beyond them, it's that that is just the way he always would be.

As Patriots fans, though, we got a FRONT ROW SEAT this past Super Bowl to the importance of a solid support staff for a young QB's development in the person of Sam Darnold. Kid went from needing the Ghostbusters to being a Super Bowl champion QB once he got away from the Jets.

Like, you say...nuance.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Good luck Mac wherever you land

 

[ctpatsfan77]

It was higher ranked then the offense run by Bill O’Brien the subsequent season.

Sometimes institutional inertia can keep things going for a bit before they fall apart. [See the OL under Dave DeGuglielmo.]

 

[lancerman]

Whatever else people want to say about the Mac Jones era... personally, I think the team did the kid a massive disservice. And in general, the fans beat down on this kid for a lot of things. The one area I don't blame him at all is for reaching out to other coaches. He ABSOLUTELY was not getting professional coaching here. Belichick could charitably be called 'disinterested' at this point. Patricia, again very charitably, was 'incompetent'. As was Joe Judge. AT THE TIME, I felt these coaching moves were clearly indicative that Belichick was done. The fact that Belichick thought Patricia and Judge were capable and ready to be MAJOR offensive coaches was, well... offensive. Just... yeah, Mac was WELL WITHIN his rights to reach out to other coaches.

On paper Mac Jones got drafted into theoretically the best situation and the first year it still looked like that could be the case. But it's pretty indisputable that the football operations became a **** show. Personally I think Belichick ran himself to thin not naming a DC while simultaneously being more hands on with the office and there just wasn't enough focus for a younger group that needed development and couldn't just snap into whatever initiative was decided upon.

Mac didn't do himself any favors either, but the last thing you can do with a QB at that point is have wild swings in offensive priorities and leadership and start hanging him out to dry.